Spokane Sets Example on Union Bargaining

This op-ed was originally published in the Spokesman-Review on December 23, 2018.

The Spokane County Board of Commissioners earlier this month voted to approve a resolution opening the county’s collective bargaining negotiations with unions representing county employees to public observation. In so doing, the commissioners adopted a forward-looking government transparency reform and set an example the rest of the state should follow.

Collective bargaining agreements negotiated by public employers and government unions determine the wages and benefits public employees receive. They’re also policy documents that can have a significant effect on how government agencies operate and the services they provide.

Unlike in private industry, unions representing government employees negotiate with elected officials or their representatives. This gives unions a big incentive to try and elect the officials that will sit opposite them at the bargaining table when negotiating over how to spend public funds.

“I am a junior high teacher in California. I want to thank you for your website and the information I gleaned from it. I have decided to leave the teacher’s union due to ideological differences, and have discovered The Association of American Educators. I am very grateful. Keep up the good work!

— Jamie

“Keep up the great work. I received both the email and mailer to opt-out of the union; however had already done so. Your work is the first I had seen noting the option to opt-out. Of course the unions nor the State made any effort to notify employees of the option.”